Played at the Western Railways, Cross Maidan, Our Own Club and KRP XI took on each other for the crucial semi finals where in Our own club won the toss and elected to bat first on a wicket which has always had more assistance for the bowlers.
Our Own Club may have regretted their decision to bat first as they were bundled out for 163runs all out in which no one managed to convert their scores apart from Pratik Gharat’s 48. From the KRP XI, Vishal Kavaiya bowled a magnetizing spell of 6/15 in 9overs with 3maidens to take the game away from the OOC team. Vishal came up with one of the best bowling figures of Kanga Knockout and that too at a crucial juncture of the tournament as he kept on turning the ball bowling in the right areas.
KRP XI in return chased down the score and won the match by 3wkts as every almost batsman chipped in with 20’s and 30’s finishing off the chase successfully in 34.5 overs. KRP XI will not play the finals and it was on the back of Vishal’s superb bowling spell in the semis.
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Just fresh from a nice ton in the longer format of the game, Ajinkya has now proved his hitting prowess with a breath taking half century in the Dreamz T20 Tournament. Played between WNS and Nielsen at the MB Union Ground, Nielsen won the toss and elected to bat first.
However, their decision to bat first did not seem to be one of the best as they were reduced to only 105runs all out in 18.5 overs. Not a single batsman managed to make much of an impact with everyone getting out cheaply. WNS bowlers did a really good job taking breakthroughs at regular intervals while also not allowing any batsman to score runs freely.
Chasing 106, it was a mere formality for the WNS team as Ajinkya Patil made a mockery of the bowling attack opening the innings. Ajinkya reached his fifty in 11th ball which makes him the record holder of fastest fifty in Mumbai cricket across all formats. Ajinkya eventually went on to score 83* off 23balls hitting 8fours and 8sixes at a strike rate of almost 350+ which eventually helped WNS win the match by 7wkts and as many as 13.2 overs to spare.
It was a clean win for WNS and Ajinkya was rightly declared ‘man of the match’ for his blazing half century.
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Played at the PJ Hindu Gymkhana, NSCI won the toss and elected to bat first against a perfectly balanced side of Osian’s in order to make a big total and put the opposition under pressure.
NSCI were however skittled out for mere runs as their decision to bat first seemed to have gone wrong. With only their opener Kamran Ahmed top scoring with 48, the rest of the batsmen struggled against the OCC bowlers. All-rounder Aditya singh bowled one of the most effective and economical spell of 4/16 in 4 overs which did the job for his team. Aditya bowled in the right areas which helped him become the pick of the bowlers.
Osians CC chased down the score with superlative ease as their skipper Digvijay Kathiwada who is a solid batsman scored 50 off 38balls opening the innings with the destructive Vishal Shah who also scored a brisk 50 off 28balls playing his natural game. Osian’s CC won the match by 7wkts as openers smashed 80% of the runs with the good start they gave while ‘man of the match’ Aditya Singh did the job with the ball.
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January to May end is the time when cricket is at its best in India and especially in Mumbai. There a wide range of high profile MCA Tournaments of various age groups to non-mca tournaments which are being conducted. 2day test matches, T20’s, T10, T15, 40over game and a host of other formats are being conducted in Mumbai and it results in a large variety of exceptional performances from various formats.
The much awaited Cricketgraph rankings are out for April and if you are making it into the top 5, you have definitely stood out from a minimum 200 exceptional knocks in that particular month as the competition is intense in Mumbai during this time when it comes to cricket.
Here are the Top 5 Knocks for April 2018 which won our hearts all over:
Joint 5th– Sarvesh Damle(RHB)-134* off 136balls, Young Comrade Shield ’18 at Shivaji Park
DPC after winning the toss made 342 in their first innings while chasing 343, Sarvesh Damle continued his stellar form with the bat smashing an unbeaten 134* off 136balls smashing 12fours and 3sixes. What’s more he also stitched an unbeaten 212* runs stand with Yogesh Takawale which helped DY Patil win the match by 7wkts..
5th Naushad Shaikh (RHB)-203 off 129balls, Semis of the Times Shield’18 at DY Patil Ground
If you take away the fact that BPSA team(Bharat Petroleum) played the whole game with only 8 players, This knock could have been at the no.1 spot. But still not taking away the credit as well as the fact that Naushad batted like a king smashing 35fours and 2sixes and reaching his double ton in mere 128balls which is by far the fastest Times Shield double hundred. It was on the back of his scintillating double ton that DY Patil A won the match on 1st innings.
4th– Praful Waghela (LHB)-157 off 235balls, Times Shield ’18 at Sharad Pawar Academy, BKC
Praful has been one of the most senior and experienced players when it comes to Mumbai Cricket and he just showed what he is capable of even at this age by smashing a flawless 157 off 235balls smashing 22fours and a six for Tata Sports Team. Tata Sports who batted first were off to a great start on the back of their opener Praful while he also stitched a massive 266runs partnership with Nikhil Patil Jr. taking the team total to 435. It was on the back of his crucial ton, Tata Sports defeated the powerful DY Patil team on 1st innings. Defeating DY Patil is not easy as they are almost equivalent to team Australia of Mumbai Cricket but Tata Sports did a good job on the back of Praful’s knock.
3rd– Kunal Karamchandani (RHB) -163 off 178balls in Times Shield ’18 at DPC Matunga
AG (L&R) team may have regretted their decision to field first as Western Railways team made a very big total of 387/10 in 76.2 overs. The top order chipped in with 30’s and 40’s with opener Harmesh Somaiya giving a solid start with 42runs but it was Kunal Karamchandani at no.5 who changed the script of the game with his solid 163runs of 178balls. Kunal coming at middle order brought his team back into the game smashing 22fours and 2sixes while also accelerating the team total to a very respectable one. Kunal kept on rotating the strike while also smashed some amazing shots as he took on the bowlers with impressive confidence. It was on the back of his big ton Western Railways won that match on 1st innings.
2nd – Swapnil Bivalkar (LHB)- 170 off 112, Times Shield ’18 Quarter-finals at New Hind Ground
This particular knock was of pure brilliance as Swapnil completely engaged in pure carnage hitting almost every corners of the ground. Swapnil played the longest format of the game in Mumbai Cricket like a T20 as he took mere 112balls for his 170 reminding some great test knocks of Sehwag and Nathan Astle. It was pure entertainment and dissemination of the bowlers as he plonked a record 11sixes which is the highest by any batsman in an innings in this year’s Times Shield (any division). Swapnil coupled it with 11fours while also stitched a match winning 230run stand with the rock solid Vaibhav Patil. CIPLA were bundled out for 134runs in return as Hindustan Times wins the semi-finals once again in a dominating manner by 254runs as attacking opener Swapnil Bivalkar taking the centerstage.
1st– Vishal Shah (120 off 53balls), Gannon Dunkerley T20 Tournament ‘18
Played at the Elf Vengsarkar Oval, Osians CC and Malabar Hill Club took on each other for a crucial clash with Osians CC winning the toss and electing to bat first on the back of their strong batting line up.
Their decision to bat first was completely spot on as opener Vishal Shah set the ground on fire with his enterprising batting smashing a brutal 120 off mere 53balls. Vishal pounced on every bowler in every corner of the ground hitting as many as 12fours and 6sixes at a strike rate of 226.42 to make it the only and the fastest hundred of this year’s edition of the Gannon Dunkerley T20 Tournament.
On the back of his hundred, Osians CC won the match by 60runs as Malabar Hill Club were restricted to 186/7 in 20overs while Vishal Shah was declared ‘man of the match’ for his blazing hundred.
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Played at the Sydenham Ground, Oval Maidan, Morgan Stanley and BASF took on each other where in BASF won the toss and elected to bowl first against a team which has a strong batting line up over the years.
They may have regretted their decision to bowl first as Morgan Stanley notched up a massive total of 203/5 in 20 overs. Pranay Khanna opening the innings smashed a scintillating 100 off mere 48balls smashing 15fours and a six to take the game away from the BASF team. Pranay literally covered every bowler and every corner of the ground lighting up the oval maidan with his fearless batting which was played at a strike rate of 208.33. It was on the back of his ton Morgan Stanley crossed the 200run mark.
Defending a total of 204, BASF must have felt the pressure of chasing at 10+ runs per over as they were all out for mere 109runs in 16.2 overs with Mazhar Haji bowling a fantastic spell of 4/31 in 4overs while Kshitij Iyengar chipping in with 2wkts.
Morgan Stanley won the match by 92runs and it was surely ‘man of the match” Pranay Khanna who stole the show.
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Roneet Thakur is one such name who has taken the Mumbai Cricket by storm. Just fresh from a ton and a fifer in the same match, he is not done yet and is impressing the selectors without a doubt not only as a player to get selected but the one who can lead from the front too. Played at the Young Zorastrian CC, Azad Maidan, two really good teams U/14 Goregaon and U/14 Dombivali took on each other where in U/14 Goregaon Team won the toss and elected to bat first on the back of their strong batting depth.
Opening the innings, Awais Khan engaged in solid batting strengthning the top order game for Goregaon as he went on to score a elegant 129 off 193balls laced with 15fours while stitched a mammoth 279run stand with Skipper Roneet Thakur for the 4th wicket which changed the game in their favor. Both the boys batted like Laxman and Dravid while skipper Roneet hardly wasted any time at the crease scoring a scintillating 193 off mere 215balls at a strike rate of almost 90 laced with 26fours and a six. Roneet has time and again proved that he is here for the bigger things in cricket as he looks very promising at such a young age. Both the boys took the team total to a healthy 383/8dec in 81 overs with medium pacer Archit Ghosalkar taking 5/81 being the pick of the bowlers.
In reply, U/14 Dombivali team were all out for 114runs with Vignesh Parab top scoring with 49runs while medium pacer Atharva Palav impressing with the ball taking 4/17 in 11overs while Roneet also chipping in with 3wkts. U/14 Goregaon team were 91/1 in their 2nd innings before the end of the game’s play where they won the match on 1st innings.
It was a dominating match where in captain Roneet stamps his mark while Awais was equally impressive.
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Played at the Cricket Club of India which has always been a ground to favor the bowlers more, NSCI rightly elected to bowl first after winning the toss and putting CCI to bat first on their own turf.
Their decision to bowl first was spot on as they restricted CCI to just 134/6 in 20 overs which is not the best of the T20 totals. Even though they were struggling at 83/6 at one stage, Behzaad Devadvala scored a fighting knock of 56* off 37balls smashing 9fours in it. From the bowlers, Yash Thadeshwar bowled a match winning spell of 4/17 in 4overs which was not only economical but he also bowled in the right areas with regular breakthroughs.
CCI really gave a tough fight and took the match till the last over and did not allow NSCI to win easily. NSCI won by a narrow margin of 2wkts and 2balls to spare with Danesh Chaddar top scoring with a 35ball 36. NSCI won a close encounter by 2wkts and Yash Thadeshwar was rightly declared the ‘man of the match’ for his brilliant bowling spell.
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Played at the Bombay Gymkhana ground in Mumbai, Osian’s cricket club and Bombay Gymkhana took on each other where in Bombay Gymkhana won the toss and elected to bowl first on a neutral track which had equal assistance for both the batsman as well as the bowlers.
With some shuffles in the batting line up, Osians CC batting first made a decent total with Digvijay Kathiwada opening the innings this time and scoring a solid 37ball 38 while Vishal Shah at the middle order chipping in with a quick 17ball 30 being the 2nd highest scorer for OCC taking the team total to a respectable 157/7 in 20overs. From the bowlers, Samir Sanghvi abd Charan Shetty took 2wkts each.
Bombay Gymkhana did felt the pressure of chasing against a quality bowling line up of OCC as they were restricted to 132/7 in 20 overs Sohrab once again top scoring with a valiant 62 being the lone warrior for Bombay Gymkhana. Harsh Dhadda with 3/24 was the pick of the bowlers while all-rounder Vishal Shah also chipped in with 2/27.
Osian’s CC won the match and it was a good team perfomance while Vishal was declared ‘man of the match’
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Played at the Elphinstone CC, Azad Maidan, U/14 Azad Team and U/14 Shivaji Park team took on each other with U/14 Azad team winning the toss and electing to field first on a good track which had decent assistance for both the batsmen as well as the bowlers.
Batting first, U/14 Shivaji Park team were all out for 221/10 runs in 72.5 overs with not a single batsmen managing to make much of an impact apart from their opener Tanay Khandeshi. Tanay played a hard fought knock scoring 104 off 186balls smashing 12fours and engaging in rock solid cricket. From the bowlers, all-rounder Riday Khandke was the pick of the bowlers taking a match winning 5/49 in 20overs leading from the front as a skipper.
Tanay Khandeshi with his coaches
U/14 Azad team were off to a patchy start with both their openers retired hurt. However, Arya Chokidar smashed a brilliant 81 off 152balls (5fours) at no.4 alongwith Riday Khandke’s game changer ton smashing 113 off 127balls (10fours). Both the boys engaged in a 194run stand which took the game away from the opposition. Both the youngsters smashed some amazing shots taking the team total to 238/3 dec in 50.2 overs. U/14 Shivaji Park team were again skittled out for 89runs all out in the 2nd innings with off spinner Azhar Mansuri (4/21) and left arm spinner Parth Darji (3/17) taking 7wkts together.
U/14 Azad team won the match on 1st innings and it was surely their skipper Riday Khandke leading from the front.
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Boisar PDTSA+Gamdevi+ Reliance Dahanu took on the Chembur Gymkhana boys where in Chembur Gymkhana lost the toss and were made to field first on a wicket which had equal assistance for both the batsman as well as the bowlers.
Boisar PDTSA batting first made a modest total of 237/10 where in Utsav Koli was all eyes smashing a brilliant 113 as the rest of the batsman just managed to give starts. Right arm leg-spinner Prithvi Salian who is one of the most promising spinners at the local level in Mumbai once again impressed one and all with brilliant bowling figures of 5/81 making him pick of the bowlers.
Chembur Gymkhana in return notched up 380/3 dec as Prem Naik and Abhinav Singh smashed scintillating tons. While Prem scored a massive 153 dominating the bowlers with his effortless batting, Abhinav on the other hand was equally impressive as both the batsman smashed some skimmers as well as classy shots in their knocks. Boisar PDTSA were 171/9 in their 2nd innings with Utsav Koli smashing back to back tons in both the innings scoring 103 before the match ended. Prithvi was again the pick of the bowlers this time bagging 4/64 taking his tally of wickets to 9 in the match.
It was a great match with 4 centuries being witnessed while Prithvi bowled amazingly well helping Chembur Gymkhana win the match on 1st innings.
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